Automatic cash-carrier



1L t e e h S 8 Lb e e h S 2, L L I H K D d d 0 M 0' m AUTOMATIC CASH CARRIER.

Patented Feb. 10,1885.

H. PETERS. plmmume hur. Washhlniun. D. C,

(No Model.) 2 Shets+8heet 2. D. K. HILL. AUTOMATIC CASH CARRIER.

I No. 311,897.

Patented Feb. 10, 1885.

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DAVID KIMBALL HILL, OF CHICAGO, ILLTN 01S.

AUTOMATIC CASH-CARRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 311,897, dated February 10, 1885.

Application filed ctohcr18, 1882.

provcments in Automatic Cash-(hirriers, of

which the following is a specification.

. My invention relates to automatic caslrcarriers in which balls rolling upon elevated inclined tracks are employed to convey cash, tickets, &c., from salesmen at different sta tions in a store to the cashier, and to be re turned from the cashier with the desired amount of change money.

In automatic caslrcarriers now commonly employed the cashicrs desk must be elevated well toward the ceiling of theroom in order to have access to the balls sent to and by him, owing to the necessary elevation of the tracks in order to have them out of the way of the counters, shelving, &c., and to give them the necessary incline. In other words, no means have been provided forlowering the ballsfrom the tracks to the cashier, and hence avoid the necessity of elevating him considerably above the iloor, and the other employs of the store, which elevation is not only inconvenient but disagreeable on account of the atmosphere, and requires a structure disfiguring and occu pying valuable space in the store.

The objects of my invention are to avoid these objections by providing an automatically-operating elevator to conduct the balls from the elevated track to the cashier when standing upon the floor to provide means by which such an elevator will lower but one ball.

at a time, even though several of the balls are in position to be received by the elevator; to provide a gate to intercept balls upon the track from the elevator while the elevator is lowering a ball and during the return of the elevator to the track, which gate is automatic ally operated by the elevator, so as to be lifted to admit one ball to the elevator and lowered to intercept and cut oft from the elevator other balls accumulated and in waiting for the elevator; to provide means adapted to be antomatically actuated by the ball next and in waiting for the elevator, to hold back other balls in waiting and prevent the pressure of said other balls from interfering with the op- (No model.)

eration of the elevator, or, in other words, to prevent the pressure of more than one ball against the elevator and the gate; and, finally, to provide a springactuated gate adapted to be automatically operated by the elevator. I attain these objects by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through an elevator and gate embodying my invention; Fig. 2, an end elevation of the same, showing in full lines the elevator in its raised position to receive a ball, and in dotted lines the elevator lowered in its position to discharge a ball; Fig. 3, a plan view of the same and of the tracks upon which the balls are delivered to the elevator; Fig. 4:, a front elevation of the gate in its raised position to admit a ball to the elevator, with dotted lines showing the position of the gate when closed; and Fig. 5 a front elevation of the elevator, showing the position of the pivoted and automatically-actuated lever confining the ball in the elevator until the elevator is in position to deliver the ball to the cashier.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts illustrated in the several figures of the drawings.

The elevated track shown at T 'l is the return-track from the salesman to the cashier, and is inclined, as shown in Fig. 1, constructed and suspended in the usual manner toward the ceiling of the recur To the end of these tracks is secured a table or platform, A, supporting the elevating mechanism, and provided with a rectangular openiu g, through which the elevator operates. At the extremity of and at each side of the tracks, and secured to the table, is an open frame, (1, extending at a right angle to and above the table, and stiffened by braces 61', said frame being grooved upon the innerfaces of its standards, to form guides for a vertically-reciprocating gate, D, counterbalaneed by a rubber cord or band attached to the upper end of the gate and to the ceiling,

and adjusted to decrease the gravity of but not prevent the gate from dropping when unsupported; but to this end a spring or weight may be substituted for the rubber cord.

represents the elevator open upon the sides next and opposite the ends of the track,

and suspended by a cord, G, passing over a pulley, H, suspended from the ceiling, which cord has upon its end a eounterpoise, f, the weight of which is sufficient to overcome the gravity of the elevator, so as to raise and maintain the elevator in its highest position when the elevator is empty, the upward movement of the elevator being limited by a cross-bar, a, supported on two vertical standards, A A, secured to and rising above the table.

As before stated, counterpoise f is sufficient in weight to overcome the gravity of the elevator .when empty; but in this connection it should here be stated that when the elevator is loaded with a ball the combined weight of the ball and elevator will overcome the gravity of the counterpoise, in consequence of which the elevator will sink to its lowest position, (indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and it may also be added that when the elevator is in contact with the cross-bar a the floor of the elevator is below the plane of the tracks, as

' guide the elevator in ways 0 0, supported on the floor or desk of the cashier, and, passing through the table A and bar a, are secured to the ceiling, but may be guyed in any suitable manner to render the ways rigid and adapted to support the track, as well as to guide the elevator.

On the open side of the elevator, opposite the ends of the track, is pivoted a lever, K,

the outer end of which is connected with the elevator by a rubber cord, K which spring actuates the lever to swing the outer end of the lever upward and maintain the lever in substantially a horizontal position, when the lever is released from the strain of the cord L, secured to the inner end of the lever and to the table, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. Lever K operates as a gate to prevent the ball escaping from the elevator until the proper time, the length of the cord L being such that it is slack when the elevator is raised; but when lowered, as shown in dotted lines, it swings the inner end of the lever upwardly and permits the ball to escape, the rubber cord K" serving to return the lever to a horizontal position and close the elevator to receive another ball. The striking force of a single ball coming down the track into the elevator is such I as would injure the pivot of the lever unless some means are provided to take up the force of the blow; hence a brace, k, is secured to the table, and operates as a bumper to the lever, the end of the brace being rounded to 1 prevent the lever catching upon it.

Underneath the elevator is a weight, F, and at the bottom of the ways a rubber bumper, Z, which co-operate together to cause the elevator to rebound and quicken its ascent after the ball is delivered to the cashier, and also to aid in expelling the ball from the elevator.

Secured to the upper portion of the elevator is an upwardly-curved arm, E, which, ex-

tending outside the elevator, engages with a stud, e, on the inner side of the gate, and, liftin g the gate as the elevator rises, maintains the gate in an elevated position until the elevator is loaded, when the gate sinks with elevator, shutting off accumulating balls until the elevator delivers its load and returns, lifting the gate as it rises to receive the next ball. If two balls are in waiting,the first will enter the elevator, and the next one (shown in dotted lines at I in Fig. 1) following it will project partially under the gate; but it is obvious that the gate is not of sufficient weight to push it back; hence it will be understood that while the gate will prevent the ball I from entering the elevator it will remain stationary until the arm E has descended and pushes the ball back, when the gate will fall. The pressure of several balls upon the track against the'a-rm E would prevent the elevator from descending if some means were not provided for h'oldin g back the balls next the one adjacent the gate; hence, to avoid this difficulty, a lever, J, is pivoted to the inside of one of the tracks at j, and has its forward end, j, bent at a right angle to the length of the lever, which bent end, being heavier than the rear end of the lever, will in its normal condition swing downwardly, elevating the straight end of thelever above the incline of the track. (Shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1.) From this construction it will be seen that whenthe ball Istrikes the straight end of the lever this end is depressed and the angular end raised and intercepts the balll" at such a distance from the gate as not to interfere with the ball I when pushed back by the arm E and the gate in descending. In this connection it may be added that the concussion of the ball I against the lever K and bumper 7i3 causes the ball to slightly rebound and push the ball I back, thus aiding the arm and gate in their functions, the ball I being prevented from escaping from the elevator in the direction of the track by a strip, S, passing across the rear side of the elevator. Balls delivered from the elevator to the cashier are returned to the salesman upon'a second track not necessary to be here described.

Instead of the several cords, rubber, and otherwise, springs or other forms of counterbalancing devices may be employed, and so, also, the lever K be omitted and a hinged or sliding gate substituted therefor without departing from the spirit of my invention;

- Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A cash-carrier the tracks of which consist of two parallel rails, and the carriers of balls rolling on and between said tracks, in combination with a counterbalanced elevator adapted to receive a single ball, the weight of which ball overbalances and causes the elevator to descend, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In an automatic cash-carrier, the parallel tracks and the cash-balls, in combination with acounterbalanced delivery-elevator automatically actuated by the balls, to lower the balls I from the track, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the elevator, of a vertically-reciprocating cut-off gate automatically actuated and adapted to withhold balls from the elevator, substantially as described.

4.. The combination, with the elevator, of the reciprocating gate engaging with and automatically actuated by the elevator, substantially as described.

5. The eon1bination,with the parallel tracks, the carrier-balls, and the counterbalanced elevator, of a lever pivoted to the elevator, and a stop device connected with a fixed support, whereby the pivoted lever is raised and the ball-is automatically released from the elevator when it descends, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the elevator, of the Springactuated lever pivoted thereto, and automatically actuated to release the ball from the elevator when the elevatorhas descended to its proper position for delivering the ball, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the elevator and with its pivoted lever, of the brace or back stop for the lever, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with the track, the elevator, and the projecting arm rigidly secured to the elevator, of a gate mounted upon and rising above the track, whereby said arm may engage and lift the gate above the ball or carrier, substantially as described.

9. The combination, with the track adjacent to the elevator, of a Weighted lever pivoted 5 thereto and adapted to be automatically actuated by a ball on the track, so as to intercept other balls in the rear of said first ball, substantially as described.

10. The combination, with the elevator, of a weight arranged on the under side of said elevator, and an elastic buffer, substantially as described.

11. The combination, with the elevator pro vided with the arm E, of the sliding gate D, 5 provided with the stud 0, adapted to be engaged by said arm, substantially as described.

12. The combination, with the elevator and the ways thereof, of the delivery-track supported by said ways,substantially as described.

DAVID KIMBALL HILL.

Vi t-u esses:

W. D. WAsHBURN, FRANK S. BLANoHaRD. 

